Birding Tour of Ladakh

The rugged territory, extremely cold weather and undisturbed locales are what make Ladakh, a paradise for the migratory birds. Home to around 300 species of local birds, this region of India has a very scarce coating of forest and known mostly as a cold desert across the globe. Mostly the resident species of birds found in Ladakh are altitudinal migrants and meet the requirements of the avid birders for their vibrant colour and distinct size. In addition to the birding opportunity, Ladakh also brings chances to walk through the colourful Buddhist monasteries found at different folds of the mountains and the presence of serpentine river Indus mesmerises the walkers exploring the region on foot. To let you taste a mixture of both scenic views and variety of birds, we at Peak Adventure offer you an all inclusive itinerary of 12 nights and 13 days which starts from Delhi and taking you through the most colourful parts of Leh, Khardung La and Zingchan it give you an opportunity of trekking in some of the best trails of Ladakh. During the course of your trip you also get a chance to have a glimpse of Hemis National Park, Rumbak Valley, Zingchan, Puga and Namshang La, where birds like Golden Eagle, red-billed chough, Ibis-bill, lammergeyer etc are seen. Let us have a glimpse of the itinerary in brief:

ITINERARY

Day 1 Delhi - Leh (3500 m) - By early morning flight
In the morning catch a flight for Leh. On arrival at Ladakh, meet our representative and you will be transferred to the hotel. A few hours dedicated for acclimatization. Afternoon is free to explore the nearby areas of your hotel and may be for some birding. Overnight stay at hotel.

Day 3 Surrounding area of Leh
After breakfast get ready to bird near Thiksey Monastery. Here you are likely to see birds like golden oriole, blue-whistling thrush, long-tailed shrike, Eurasian cuckoo, hill pigeon, common rose-finch etc. Afternoon you will be taken to visit the Stok Palace and later visit Hemis Gompa. Apart from having a glimpse of the colourful monastery, we can expect to see birds like Tibetan snow-finch, northern house martin, lammergeier, Eurasian crag martin, fire-fronted serin, plain mountain finch, white wagtail, blue sheep etc. Overnight stay in a hotel.

Day 4 Leh - Khardung La (18380 ft) - By Surface/49 km/Approx 2½ hrs
This morning you will be taken out for a birding session at Khardung La. Here you will reach at a height of 18380 ft. The birds found here include the species like winter wren, robin & alpine accentor, brown dipper, Himalayan snow-cock, Brandt's mountain finch, great rose-finch, yellow-billed chough, white-winged redstart etc. Afternoon you are free to explore the richness of Leh town. Overnight in a hotel.

Day 5 Leh - Zingchan - By Surface/Approx 1 hr - Rumbak (12540 ft) - Trek/Approx 5 hrs
Today morning drive to Zingchan in the morning. After that you need to trek to Rumbak for birding. The day is dedicated for birding in Rumbak Valley. Here you are about to see sulphur-bellied warbler, white-throated dipper etc. Overnight in a homestay (promoted by Snow Leopard Conservancy) or in a tented camp.

Day 6 - Day 7: Rumbak
Full day birding around the Rumbak Valley. Birds like brown & robin accentor, streaked rose-finch, tickell's leaf warbler, chukar, Tibetan snow-finch, red-billed chough, Himalayan snow-cock, common & fork-tailed swift, fire-fronted serin, twite etc can be seen. Overnight stay in a tented camp or in a home stay.

Day 8 Rumbak - Zingchan - Trek/Approx 3½ hrs - Leh - By Surface/Approx 1 hr
Today morning for a couple of hours we will bird in Rumbak Valley. Next we will trek to Zingchan. Here we will check the forest patch at Zingchan for some unique species of birds such as grey bush-chat, rusty-tailed flycatcher etc. Drive to Leh for overnight stay in a hotel.

Day 9 Leh - Puga (14520 ft) - By Surface/Approx 5½ hrs
The day is dedicated to travel to Puga stopping en route for birding at Chumathang. Here you can see birds like common merganser, horned lark etc. We suggest you to notice the stream at Puga rising out of sulphur spring for ruddy shelduck, black-necked crane, brown-headed gull, etc. Overnight stay in a tented camp at Puga.

Day 11 Puga - Across Polo Konga (16,236 ft) - Tsolar (14949 ft) - By Surface/Approx 2½ hrs
Drive to Tsokar in the morning and explore the area close to Polo Kongka Pass. You can get to see huge flocks of Brandt's mountain finch here. The moment you enter the lake vicinity, you might get to see black-necked crane, common redshank, several species of shorebirds and waterfowl. Take your time to explore the nearby regions where birds like little owl, plain-backed snow-finch, Tibetan sand-grouse, etc can be found. Hume's short-toed lark, Horned lark, and Tibetan snow-finch are some of the commonly found birds here. In the afternoon visit the fresh water lake to have a glimpse of birds like avocet, ruddy shelduck, breeding colony of crested grebe etc. Chances of witnessing birds like black-necked crane are also high. Overnight stay in tented camp at Tsokar.

Day 12 Tsokar - Across Tanglang La (17358 ft) - Leh - By Surface/140 km/Approx 4 hrs
Today morning spend some time for birding at Tso Kar and then travel to Leh via Tanglang La. En route take a break for birding. By the afternoon you will reach Leh. Afternoon at leisure. Overnight in a hotel.

Day 13 Leh - Delhi - By morning flight
Morning after breakfast transfer to airport and from here catch a flight for Delhi